Hi John,
Here’s a question from the webinar: When you are setting goals for someone who might be at a “disillusioned” or “cautious” development level, what do you look for and how do you adjust your leadership style?

The main difference between the “disillusioned learner” and the “capable, but cautious performer” is their level of competence. The question I use to diagnose the difference is: “Does this person need direction on ‘how to’ accomplish the goal?” If the answer is “Yes” they are in the “disillusioned” level, if “No” the “capable” level. They both need help with either their motivation to want to do the task or their confidence to achieve it. But only the “disillusioned learner” needs the direction to go with it.

Interesting question. I worry that monthly might be overkill. I think including their goals and tasks in the regular one-on-ones (a 15-30 minute conversation held at least every two weeks) works better. Then have longer game plan discussions once a quarter that look at the goals — what is different, what needs to change, be added or remove — and solicit and provide feedback on performance to date).

I like Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge’s book: “Helping People Win at Work.” The white papers in the Research section of the http://www.kenblanchard.com website has some related articles, especially around “employee work passion.” We also have a 1/2 day workshop on Goal Setting. Outside of Blanchard, Bruce Tulgan has an interesting blog and website dealing with performance planning and goal setting from both a leadership and “self-leadership” perspective. Doing an internet search will reveal a TON of material 🙂

Thanks everyone for joining us today. I appreciate the opportunity to share this content with you. If you have any further questions or want additional resources, send your request to webinars@kenblanchard.com